Canadian crews help with US storm cleanup

New Brunswick and Ontario send power crews to assist recovery

TORONTO |
July 3, 2012

Two Canadian provinces have dispatched power crews and trucks to assist northeastern U.S. states recover from widespread storm blackouts.

Ontario's Hydro One utility sent some 200 workers and equipment to Baltimore, Virginia and Washington to help repair downed lines, poles and transformers after Friday's devastating storm, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said.

New Brunswick's NB Power also announced it was sending workers and equipment to the Washington area to help crews remove downed trees and reconnect downed lines. It didn't disclose the number of personnel.

Five days after the storm took out electricity to more than 4 million people in the Northeast, some 1.7 million customers were still without power Tuesday, various utilities said.

Beginning in 2004, Hydro One sent recovery teams to Florida following two hurricanes, Ohio following a tropical storm and Vermont after a winter storm, the QMI Agency said.